'American Street' leads young-adult roundup

Fabiola, an American citizen by birth, has lived in Haiti since she was a baby. Now she and her mother have returned to the United States to live with family in Detroit. But only Fabiola makes it through customs in New York and is allowed to travel on to meet up with her aunt and cousins; her mother is detained. On the flight to Michigan, Fabiola comforts herself with thoughts of her mother soon rejoining her, though really she has no idea what will happen. "I look down at America — its vastness resembling a huge mountain," she says as she surveys the view from the plane window. "I felt as if I was just a pebble in the valley."

Haitian-American author Ibi Zoboi draws upon her own experience of "living between cultures," as she puts it in her author's note, in this stunning, richly textured debut novel. The title references the address of the house in Detroit where Fabiola — rechristened Fabulous, Fab for short — learns to navigate life as an American teenager. Poverty and the violence of the drug trade permeate her family's urban neighborhood, but so does love, loyalty and, as Fab suspects, magic. Is the homeless man on the corner actually Papa Legba, a Vodou spirit, there to guide her through a crossroads? With a vivid setting and fully realized cast of characters, "American Street" is both a destination and a journey; it tells a multi-layered story readers won't soon forget.

"We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour, Dutton, 240 pages, $17.99, age 14+

This exquisitely rendered novel about loneliness, grief and healing takes place during winter break at narrator Marin's small college in New York's Hudson Valley. All the other students have gone home for the holidays, but Marin remains. Alone in her dorm, she awaits a visit from her estranged best friend and former lover, Mabel. "I don't even know how I will form the word hello. I don't know what I will do with my face: if I will be able to smile or even if I should." With Mabel comes the possibility that Marin will finally have to face memories of home, memories she has tried her best to keep "(locked in) their cages."

Alternating between scenes of the present — in which a snowstorm further emphasizes the sense of inevitable, albeit affectionate, confrontation — and flashbacks to the previous spring, before Marin leaves home in San Francisco for school, "We Are Okay" unfolds at a pace that is meditative but never stagnant. Nina LaCour allows Marin's story space to develop meaningfully, infusing everyday actions, such as making ramen or warming up after venturing out into the cold, with quiet intensity. The moments link together to form a portrait of relationships that are believably fraught with secrets and unspoken emotion, yet, at their core, caring and not so easily broken.

Kelly Jensen, an associate editor for the online journal Book Riot, describes her feminism as the kind that forges connections. As she says in the concluding essay in "Here We Are: 44 Voices Write, Draw, and Speak About Feminism for the Real World," her strength resides "in being there for others, a steady and solid rock, supporting, encouraging, and listening to the stories of those around (her)." That strength is on full display in this dynamic collection of essays, interviews, comic strips and more, which brings together a chorus of diverse viewpoints, from women and men, to help teens understand, broaden and visualize their own definition of contemporary feminism.

To say the book covers feminist "issues" is accurate but doesn't convey the distinctive, personal feel of each piece. Alida Nugent writes about growing up biracial and not fitting the standard of beauty at her suburban New York high school, where the most popular girl had a dainty nose "that looked like it belonged on an elf." Kaye Mirza chronicles the process of claiming her identity as both a feminist and as a Muslim. Brenna Clarke Gray traces the feminist roots of fandom. In an interview, "Orange Is the New Black" star Laverne Cox discusses transgender women's struggle for inclusion in the feminist movement. Former Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis talks about losing the Texas governor's race in 2014 and reinforces a vital message for today's young activists: Even though you won't always win, if you stand up for what you believe in, there is "so much to be gained in fighting the fight."

Kelly Jensen, editor of “Here We Are,” will appear Thursday, March 9, at 1 p.m., at The Book Stall, 811 Elm St., in Winnetka, and at 7:30 p.m., at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark St.

Christine Heppermann's most recent book for young adults is "Ask Me How I Got Here."

After last year's Women's March and the #MeToo movement, we were curious if the romance genre will evolve to support women and their causes in 2018. We asked several authors for their opinions.